Conservation in Socio-Ecological Systems - CSES
Carnivore Conservation Ecology

Sofia Alexandra Soares Lino

PhD Student

I am conducting a Ph.D. in Biology and Ecology of Global Change (BEGC) by the University of Lisbon starting in 2018 within the Carnivore Conservation Ecology Subgroup of the Conservation in Socio-Ecological Systems (CSES) research group of cE3c. I am conducting the project “The path to wolf populations’ isolation: a consequence of eco-geographical processes, human attitudes or human-shaped landscapes?”, under the supervision of Luís Miguel Rosalino, from Department of Animal Biology at Lisbon University, and Carlos Fonseca and João Carvalho from the Department of Biology at University of Aveiro and CESAM. My Ph.D. project aims are:

• To monitor wolves south of the Douro river, collecting data to elaborate individual genetic profiles, evaluate genetic flux, wolf spatial dynamics and feeding ecology;
• Survey the local people’s attitudes towards the wolf for mapping areas where negative attitudes can suppose a barrier that compromises population dynamics. Compare attitudes with wolf feeding habits in the area;
• Use the collected data to build habitat suitability and connectivity models, and to map the important barriers to population connectivity;
• Use this information to support a viable wolf population in the long term by promoting suitable socio-ecological conditions (i.e. awareness campaigns to raise social acceptance of wolves, reforestation actions, restock of wild prey).